I am overwhelmed by my weight loss goals! How can you help me make it manageable?

Weight loss is typically the number one goal for many individuals who are just starting a workout routine. Many struggle to lose weight or get overly frustrated when the number on the scale isn’t what they except. However, there are other positive factors to look at when you aren’t seeing the weight come off on the scale. When I encounter a client that is overwhelmed by not seeing the number on the scale go down, we look at other areas such as body fat and circumference measurements. If their body fat has decreased significantly and they are losing inches around the stubborn areas such as chest, waist and hips, then it is safe to say that they are losing fat weight and gaining lean muscle. The number on the scale won’t ever show this because it doesn’t take into account fat lose and lean muscle. Once the client understands this it makes them feel better and increases their confidence that they are achieving their weight loss goal. I hate the scale because it doesn’t show any real and true progress. It’s just a number that frustrates people and makes them believe that they aren’t making any real changes.

Earvin Bahena, NSCA - CSCS

Losing weight can be a frustrating journey for many people but there are several ways to help reach someone's goal without drastic measures. Start off with smaller and short term goals when it comes to weight loss. A healthy good short term goal to look at is trying to lose 1-2 lbs a week. You can use the same 1-2/week goal to set long term goal as well. The biggest thing is to not get discouraged when the number on the scale does not drop. The body goes through ups and downs when it comes to weight loss and patience is a must. The scale does not tell the whole story of your body, that’s why we do circumference measurements and test one's body fat. Your weight can still be the same but your waist measurement can drop or you can see a decline in your body fat percentage, both which are important for a healthy lifestyle. Looking at the overall picture and not solely focusing on the scale will help ease the weight loss journey and make it manageable.